Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-30


and cornices of the porches were entirely
dooryards were brilliant with petunias,
verbenas, marigolds, etc, all no doubt
under the fostering care of good ladies of
the homes. One will travel far and OBJ
serve closely before he will discover
another town with natural and artificial
attractive features as great as the town OF
Gridley.
THE NAME OF GRIDLEY.
From Whence the name was Chosen
Some Facts about the Place.
Much misrepresentation exists as to the
man in whose honor the town of Gridley
was named. 1t has been often published,
and generally believed, that it was 50
called to perpetuate the name of Gridley,
who made himself SO famous in his efforts,
during the late war, to aid the Sanitary
Commission by the means of travelling
throughout this State with sack of flour,
which would be auctioned off then re-
turned, resold, and so on, the entire pro-
ceeds being given to the Commission,
which finally swelled to hundreds of thou
sands of dollars But, however noble a
monument it would have been, such is not
the fact. 1t was named after George W.
Gridley, native of Cazenovia, n. Y,
born in 1918. With his relatives, when
a child, he removed to Illinois,
and after having been engaged in
the auctioneering business with success, in
1850, having become infected with the
gold fever, he migrated to California, set
ting in Sacramento, where he engaged in
the same business. He returned to Hill
nois in 1852, and again migrated to Cali
fornia in 1858, settling in Butte county,
four miles north of the Buttes. Gradually
by purchase and otherwise he became pos
sessed of about 5000 acres, including the
present town site of Gridley. He also en-
gagged largely in the sheep business, was
remarkably successful, and became one of
the wealthiest men in Northern Califor-
MA. He met with some reverses, however,
before his death, which occurred in March,
1881, materially lessening the value of his
estate. His wife and family are now liv-
ing four miles west of Gridley, on the adobe
lands, still possessed of many hundreds OF
acres.
ITS SITUATION.
To the depot in Gridley, Butte county,
according to railroad surveys, it is exactly
distant from Sacramento 69.6 miles. Ac-
cording to United States surveys, it is de-
scribed as occupying portion of section l,
township IL north, range 2, and portion
of section 36 in township Is. In 1870 the
town was laid out by the railroad company
about the time the road was completed to
that point. The site, we were informed, is
one mile long, parallel with the railroad,
north and south, and one-half mile wide,
east and west, measuring about 800 acres.
The railroad passes through the center,
running north and south. The western
side contains nearly all the business houses
and manufacturing establishments, besides
a large majority of the residences. The
lumber yards and many residences and one
church lie to the east of the railroad. 1t
is about two and one-half miles north of the
boundary line which divides Butte and
Suffer counties; two and one-quarter miles
from Feather river, which is crossed by a
splendid bridge, mentioned elsewhere
three miles south of the town of Biggs, and
about twelve miles northeast of the Buttes
the most prominent landmark in the Sac
ramento valley.
PLAN OF GRIDLEY.
Gridley is laid out on the modern plan,
with streets crossing each other at right
angles, making the squares about 240 feet
An alley twenty feet wide passes through
the center of each square, running north
and south. The streets running north and
south are alphabetically named, and those
east and west numerically. This plan we
believe was first adopted in laying out the
city of Washington, d. G., and has since
been adopted by many of the new and
most thriving cities of the country, our
own among the number. 1t is certainly
more simple and less entangling to a
stranger than the old plan where streets
were named from some local celebrity, or
physical characteristics which improve
ments often make meaningless, and have
no connection or sequence in their adjust
ment. The railroad company reserved
enough land for their purposes-depot,
woodward, coal-bins, etc.-and then offered
the remaining lots for sale, which were
eagerly sought for, until now very few
remain in the hands of the company The
first dwelling and store was erected by l..
G. Stone, who also was the first agent for
the railroad company and Wells, Fargo &
Co, and the first Postmaster. He is still a
resident of Gridley and one of its wealth.
lest citizens.
ITS GOVERNMENT.
The government of Gridley, is simple,
economical, and owing to the good quail
ties and law-abiding character of its citi-
zens, effective and ample for all its present
needs. 1t consists of two Justices of the
Peace and two Constables. 1t is not an in
corporated town, and therefore only sub
Ject to county and State taxes, which aver
ages less than 81 80 per hundred. The
Road tax appears to be ample, for its streets
are In such perfect condition that any
city might be proud of them. The people
are neither litigious nor pugnacious, and
larcenies are almost unknown. Conse-
quently the Justices and Constables have
neither troublesome nor lucrative posi-
lions. To be sure, such a state cannot last
much longer, as the population increases,
and even If no boom should reach Gridley
the natural increase Of population, which
her vast resources must bring her. will
compel her to apply for a charter and as
sumo all the added expenses of an incor-
porated city. When the time does come
We trust her citizens will have the fore
sight to steer clear of the rocks which
have so nearly wrecked so many otherwise
prosperous cities-an incorporated debt
without ample provision for its funding
and liquidation at no distant day.
BUSINESS AND MANUFACTURES,
some OF the Leading Industries of Grid
ley-Numerous Enterprises.
A stranger visiting this place is at once
struck with surprise at the number and